Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

New Military Defense Forces Transport Aircraft Tested in the Skies of Brazil

02/10/2024

On February 8, the first Embraer KC-390 Millennium military transport aircraft of the Hungarian Defense Forces was tested in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, and is scheduled to arrive in Hungary later this year. With the use of the Brazilian aircraft type, attracting increasing interest worldwide, the Defense Forces will add a new capability in military air transport.

Tucson's Davis-Monthan retires A-10 "Warthog" as part of divestment plan

02/10/2024

After nearly 50 years of flying A-10 “Warthog” attack jets at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the 355th Wing has begun divesting planes from one A-10 squadron amid a planned retirement of the entire fleet. A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft number 82-648 was retired from service with the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan and on Tuesday taxied from D-M’s main airfield to the adjacent 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group for final maintenance procedures and preparation for storage.

Greek Air Force considers Mirage 2000 sale to India

02/08/2024

The Greek Air Force (HAF) is currently looking for a buyer for its aging fleet of Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000 EGM/BGMs, which were retired in 2022. Sources have told local news publication Kathimerini that the HAF leadership is considering selling the jets to India. Discussions are already underway between Greek defense authorities and their counterparts.

US Upgrades 139 Taiwanese F-16s to Latest Configuration

02/08/2024

The US Air Force has upgraded 139 Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jets to the F-16Vs (Block 70-72) configuration. The last aircraft under the Peace Phoenix Rising program was delivered in December, Air and Space Forces Magazine wrote citing the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. It comes five years after the first F-16V was delivered in late 2018 and a little over two years after the commissioning of Taiwan’s first F-16V squadron in November 2021.

UK ‘Eyes’ 138 F-35 Stealth Fighters; Signals Renewed Commitment To Full Order Of Lockheed Aircraft

02/08/2024

The United Kingdom has reiterated its pledge to acquire 138 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning combat aircraft despite previously scaling back from the complete Program of Record (PoR) quantity. In a recent parliamentary exchange, the United Kingdom underscored its unwavering dedication to procuring 138 F-35B aircraft, signaling an uncompromising commitment to one of its arsenal’s most critical defense programs.

China Pitches FC-31 Stealth Fighter Jet To Middle East Nations As A ‘Reliable’ Alternative To US F-35s

02/08/2024

The acquisition of the American single-seater, single-engine stealth fighter jet F-35 ‘Lightning II’ remains a pipedream for the Middle Eastern countries, baring Israel. Meanwhile, China has moved to fill the gap and help the countries achieve localization in defense manufacturing by offering its latest FC-31 (J-31) Gyrfalcon stealth jet.

Five US Marines missing after helicopter goes down in California mountains

02/08/2024

Five US Marines are missing after their helicopter went down in the snow-covered California mountains. The CH-53E Super Stallion was found about 45 miles (72km) from its destination after the team were "reported overdue". But the fate of the five Marines travelling on board is unclear. They were on a training flight to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, near San Diego, early on Wednesday.

RAF complete Exercise Red Flag 24

02/06/2024

Mission accomplished! RAF aircraft and personnel have made a significant contribution to the success of the world’s premier air combat exercise. The RAF contribution to the exercise consisted of Typhoon fighter jets, a Voyager air-to-air refueler, Rivet Joint electronic surveillance crews, engineers, Air Controllers, Space specialists and a variety of support personnel.

Netherlands halts F-16 sale to US firm, will send to Ukraine instead

02/06/2024

The Netherlands scrapped plans to sell six F-16 fighter jets to a U.S. company and will prepare the planes for delivery to Ukraine instead, according to the Dutch Defence Ministry. The agreement increases the number of Dutch aircraft that will be handed over to the embattled country to 24, it said.

Russia's Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate Stealth Fighter Could Fly for India

02/06/2024

Moscow is continuing to seek interested foreign buyers for its highly-touted Sukhoi Su-75 "Checkmate" fighter aircraft. Among the interested parties could be India, and it was reported that the state-owned military-industrial conglomerate Rostec was even ready to slash costs "as per feedback" from New Delhi.

US launches more strikes against Houthis in Yemen

02/05/2024

The US carried out more strikes against Houthi missiles in Yemen on Sunday, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on X. Centcom said US forces struck a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles that "were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea". The latest military action comes a day after US-UK strikes on Houthi targets.

Poland warns of possible activation of military aviation in east of country

02/05/2024

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces has warned of a possible intensification of military aviation in the east of the country, near the borders with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, between February 5 and March 5. This was reported by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces on the social network X, Ukrinform reported.

Indonesia caught in attempted theft of S. Korean fighter jet secrets

02/05/2024

Indonesian technicians were caught attempting to smuggle out sensitive development data on the KF-21, a supersonic fighter jet co-developed with South Korea, marking a significant breach in the bilateral defense collaboration. This incident occurred 13 years after South Korean National Intelligence Service agents were caught unauthorized in the accommodations of an Indonesian delegation in 2011.

Taiwan tracks 10 Chinese military aircraft, 5 naval ships

02/04/2024

The Ministry of National Defense tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships around Taiwan over 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 3). As of press time, there was no word on whether the planes crossed into the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the Chinese activity.

The Story of the Soviet Pilot who defected to Turkey flying a MiG-29 Fulcrum

02/04/2024

Zuyev, a MiG-29 pilot with the Baku PVO regiment at Gudauta, a Soviet Air Base in northeast coast of the Black Sea, flew to Turkey where he requested political asylum in the United States after a shoot-out at Gudauta. “Take me to hospital,” Zuyev then 28, was quoted as saying upon landing at the airfield at the Black Sea port of Trabzon in northeastern Turkey after a 110-mile flight from Tskhakaya air base near Batumi, in Soviet Georgia.

What we know about US retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria

02/03/2024

US forces have bombed 85 targets in Iraq and Syria as retaliation for an attack that killed three US troops at a base in northern Jordan last month. According to US officials, the co-ordinated attack was against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force and allied militia groups. US President Joe Biden said the US attacks "will continue at times and places of our choosing".

NGAD Means the F-22 Raptor Fighter Must Fly Into the History Books

02/03/2024

Since 2005, the F-22 Raptor fighter jet has been dominating the skies. The first fighter jet in the world to become operational, the F-22 Raptor revolutionized air warfare and paved the way for future stealth aircraft like the F-35 Lighting II. The F-22 Raptor is an air superiority multi-role fighter jet. Its main role over the battlefield is to dominate the skies and ensure that enemy aircraft can’t fly.

Now Is Not the Time to Go Weak on the F-35

02/03/2024

The year 2024 will stand as a transformative year for modernizing the U.S. Air Force’s fighter force. Bottom line: the service needs to reset fast. That is why it was welcome news when Lockheed Martin recently announced the Tech Refresh 3/Block 4 variant of its F-35 are projected to join operational Air Force units by the third quarter of this year.

South Korea to start mass production of KF-21 fighter jets

02/03/2024

South Korea will build 40 KF-21 Boramae fighter jets this year with the 238.7 billion won (U.S. $178.6 million) allocated for the Defense Ministry, even as the aircraft makes its way through flight and ground tests. The first mass production of the KF-21 is expected to fill the “power vacuum” left when the South Korean Air Force’s aging fighter fleet retires, the defense minister said in a Dec. 21 statement.

Taiwan On High Alert As Chinese Military Aircraft And Naval Ships Spotted In the Region

02/02/2024

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has detected seven Chinese military aircraft along with four naval vessels around Taiwan between local time 6 am on Tuesday and local time 6 am on Wednesday. Following Chinese action, Taiwan sent out its aircraft and naval vessels. It deployed its air defence missile systems to closely watch the People’s Liberation Army (abbreviated the PLA) activity, per Taiwan’s MND.

Turkey still interested in Eurofighters despite progress on US F-16s

02/02/2024

Turkey is still interested in buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, a Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday after the United States advanced the $23 billion sale of its F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. In November, Turkey said the country was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Typhoons, though Germany objected the idea. At the time, a Turkish defence ministry source said talks had begun after Ankara recognised its request for F-16 jets from the U.S., first made in October 2021, might

Various F-35 Joint Strike Fighter nations purchase IR flare decoys

02/01/2024

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a $31m contract modification to Chemring Australia, a global supplier of aerial countermeasures, on 30 January 2024 to support various F-35 Joint Strike Fighter nations with 19,570 MJU-68/B flare infrared (IR) decoys. US Navy F-35s will benefit from 12,918 flares; 1,152 for the US Air Force; 1,176 for Italy; 1,152 for Belgium; 868 for the UK; 816 for Japan; 720 for Germany; 672 for Denmark; and 96 for Poland.

German fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian military aircraft

02/01/2024

The German Air Force has scrambled some of its fighter jets to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that was spotted over the Baltic Sea off its coast. The patrol took off from the Laage airbase in northeastern Germany after a Russian military aircraft was spotted in international airspace near Rügen, the Air Force said. A German fighter jet escorted the Russian plane for a short time before it turned east, the department added.

Russia's Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback Fighter Has a Serious Problem

02/01/2024

Russia Has Lost Another Su-34: Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name "Fullback") multirole strike fighter-bomber over the eastern Luhansk region earlier this week. According to reports from open source intelligence, the Kremlin has lost a total of 332 aircraft in total.

How NGAD, F/A-XX and B-21 Raider will Transform the U.S. Military

01/31/2024

As tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to ramp up, the arms race to develop the world’s first next-generation fighters is on. From submarines and fighters to bombers and main battle tanks, the U.S. and China are prioritizing the development of advanced and cutting-edge technologies. Perhaps the most anticipated sixth-generation designs are the upcoming Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, the B-21 stealth bomber and the F/A-XX airframe.